Sinker mechanism for knitting-machines



E. L. CUMMINGS.

SINKER MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. II, I919.

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SINKER MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1919.

1 ,334,597, 4 Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

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IZZL'EZZZLOI' E. L. CUMMINGS.

SINKER MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATiON FlLED SEPT. I I, 1919.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

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EDWARD I1. CUMMINGS, F WATERFORD, NEW YORK, T0 IEUTNAM KNITTING COMPANY, OF COHOES, NEVI Yiilftlt, GORPUIBJATIQN OF NEW YORK.

SINKER MECHANI$1VI FUR KNITTING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. GUM- Mnvos, a citizen of the United States, residing at "Waterford, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sinker Mechanism for Knitting-hilachines, of which the following is a specification.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

This invention relates to an improvement upon United States Letters Patent No. 416,- 256, granted to George W. Cummings, December 3, 1889, for a plush bur for knittingmachines.

Burs of the character shown and described in said Letters Patent are adapted for use in incorporating in a knitted web of fabric a backing-thread having loops exposed on the surface of the web to various purposes.

In the manufacture of certain fabrics the loops formed upon the surface of the knitted web by means of these burs, are brushed to form a plush surface, and the bur shown in said Letters Patent was adaptedto form loops of the backing-thread or yarn, of suflicient prominence to give the proper plush surface to the fabric when brushed.

Inthe use of said prior bur, however, the sinker-fingers, whereby the loops of the backing-thread were formed, were forced inwardly to form the loops by engagement of certain of the .knitt-ingneedles with the respective sinker-fingers. This not only caused a strain upon the needles but limited the length of the loop which could beformed.

in the manufacture of certain knitted fabrics for toweling, wash-cloths and the like, it is desirable to produce upon the sur- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 11, 1919.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920 $eria1 No. 323,116.

bur, and it has been found necessary to provide means independent of the needles for positively moving the sinker-fingers inwardly and outwardly in forming the loops.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a more simple and aecessible mechanism for thus positively moving the sinker-fingers inwardly and outwardly.

Other objects will appear in connection with the following description.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of my improved sinker-mechanism showing its position relatively to the needles of a circular spring-needle lniitting-machine.

2 is a bottom plan view of the sinker- 1n ech ani sm.

Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation of the same as seen from the left-hand side of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: is a vertical cross-section of the same taken on the broken line l in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the ring which forms the pivot for the sinkei fingers.

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the hub of the sinker-wheel.

Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section of the same taken on the broken line 7-7 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the bladecarrying annulus.

Fig. 10 is a view of the same partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section taken on the broken line 1010 in Fig. 9.

11 is a view in perspective of one of the sinker-wheel blades.

Fig. 12 a view in side elevation of one of the sinker-fingers.

Referring to the drawings wherein the invention is shown in preferred form, 1 is a stationary support or bracket, mounted adjacent to the cylinder, 2, of a spring-needle circular knitting-machine having the usual spl'ingnecdles, 3.

A support, l, projects upwardly from the inner end ofthe support or bracket, 1, form ing a means for rotatively mounting the rotary members of the sinker-meehanisn1 in proper relation to the knitting-needles.

Upon the support, 41, is rotatively mounted the hub, 5, of the sinker-wheel.

The sinker-wheel has the usual, blades, 6,

each provided with yarn-receiving-andfrom the bottoms of said grooves, 9, and severally adapted to receive the dove-ta1led shanks, 11, on the respective blades, 6.

The annulus, 8, is formed with a bottom opening, 12, adapted to receive and fit a cylindrical shoulder, 13, formed on the hub, 5, the upper surface of which shoulder is inwardly and downwardly beveled at 14c, to correspond with the bevel on the underside of the respective shanks, 11, of the blades, which shanks are confined between said beveled surface, 4, and the top wall of the annulus, 8, as shown in Fig. 4;.

A nut, 15, fitting the upper screw-threaded portion, 16, of the hub, 55, when screwed down tightly against the annulus, 8, serves to securely clamp the shanks of the blades between the beveled surface, 14, on the hub, and the top wall of the annulus, and causes the annulus and blades to rotate in unison with the hub.

Each of the blades, 6, is formed with a leg, 17, depending from the body of the blade along the outer surface of the hub, 55, and the depending legsof the blades are severally formedwith a notch, 18, in their edge adjacent to the hub, said notches, 18, being adapted to receive and support in position a pivot-ring, 19, extending circumferentially of the hub.

This pivot-ring, 19, forms a support and pivotal connection for the sinker-fingers, 2-0, each of which is formed preferably of wire, and with a loop, 21, adapted to interlockably receive the pivot-ring, 19, and to rock thereupon.

Each sinker-finger, 20, is thus rockably mounted between two neighboring blades, 6, of the sinker-wheel with its upper end, 20, projecting upwardly above the pivotring, 19, and its lower end, 20 projecting downwardly below said ring.

The upper ends of the sinker-fingers are thus adapted to play inwardly and outwardly between the body portions of the neighboring blades in performing the well known function of forcing loops of the backing-yarn deeply in between the blades so as to produce prominent loops on the surface of the knitted fabric.

A cam,22, mounted in fixed position upon the bracket, 1, engages on their outer side the upper ends, 20 of the successive sinkerfingers as the sinker-wheel is rotated, said cam being so formed as to force the upper ends of the sinker-fingers as deeply as may be desired into the spaces between neighboring blades, 6.

A cam, 23, mounted in fixed position upon the bracket, 1, engages on their outer sides the lower ends, 20", of the successive sinker-fingers as the sinker-wheel is rotated, said cam being so formed as to force the lower ends of the sinker-fingers inwardly thereby causing their outer ends to be forced outwardly.

By the construction shown herein, one cam engages the sinker-fingers above their axis of rocking movement and the other cam engages the sinker-fingers below their axis of rocking movement, I am able to positively actuate the fingers both inwardly and outwardly by means of cams located exteriorly oi the sinker-wheel whereby they are readily accessible for replacement and adjustment when desired.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The sinker-wheel being mounted as shown in Fig. 1 in position to mesh with the needles, 3, of the circular knitting-machine will be rotated by the rotary movement of the needle-carrying cylinder, 2, of the machine.

The cam, 22, is so located that it engages the outer side of the upper ends of the sinker-fingers to force them into the respec tive spaces between the blades in the sinkerwheel just in advance of the respective needles, causing the upper end of each sinkerfinger to engage the thread or yarn and force a loop of the same into a needle-engaged space between two neighboringblades in the wheel.

lVhere the thread is not thus engaged and looped by the sinker-fingers, it is laid along the inner side 01 back of the needles in the usual manner to incorporate the backing-thread or yarn into the body of the knitted web.

By properly proportioning the sinkerfingers and the cam, 22, the sinker-fingers can be thus forced inwardly to any desired extent independently of the knitting needles, thus making it possible to produce loops of the backing-thread oi desired length without respect to the depth to which the knitting-needles enter between the blades of the wheel.

I have shown and described the wheel whereby the thread or yarn is fed into the machine as a structure built up of several parts including the hub, blades, and means for mounting the blades upon the hub; but for certain purposes of the invention, the wheel may be constructed in any known manner whereby it provided with spaces for engagement with the knitting-needles and sinker-fingers, and whereby it is adapted to properly feed the yarn into the machine.

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While I have shown the sinker-fingers rockably mounted upon the Wheel by means of the pivot-ring, 19, for certain purposes of the invention, the fingers may be rockably mounted upon the wheel in any known manner at a point between their upper and lower ends whereby they can be engaged by the respective cams at a point above and at a point below their axis oi rocking movement.

The sinker-wheel is retained upon the spindle, at, by means of a nut, 23, and a lock nut, 2 fitting a reduced screw-threaded end-portion, 25, of the spindle.

A dust-cap, 26, fits over the nut, 15, protecting the nuts, 23, 24L and 15, and the outer end or the spindle from dust and lint.

l Vhat 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A thread-feeding sinker-wheel provided with spaces for engagement with knitting needles, and having sinker-fingers each rockably mounted at a point between its ends with the upper ends of the fingers in position to play in certain oi said needle-engaging spaces, said fingers being exposed both above and below their axis of rocking movement for engagement by suitable actuating mechanism.

2. Sinker-mechanism for knittingmachines having a rotatively mounted threadfeeding wheel provided with spaces for engagement with the knitting-needles, sinkerfingers roekably mounted at a point between their ends upon said wheel in position for the upper ends of the fingers to play in certain of the needle-engaging spaces in said wheel, and a pair of cams mounted exteri' orly of said wheel, one engageable with the upper ends of the sinker-fingers above their axis of rocking movement, and the other enageable with the lower ends of the sinkerlingers below their axis of rocking movement.

3. Sinker-mechanism for knitting-machines having in combination a supporting bracket, a spindle carried by said bracket, a tln'ead-teeding wheel rotatively mounted upon said spindle and provided with spaces for engagement with the lmitting-needles, sinker-fingers rockably mounted at a point between their ends upon. said wheel, and a pair of cams removably mounted upon said bracket, one engageable with the upper ends of the sinker-fingers above their axis of rocking movement, and the other engageable with the lower ends of the sinker-fingers be low their axis of rocking movement.

Sinker-mechanism for knitting-ma chines having in combination a sinker-wheel, a hub, thread feeding blades mounted upon said hub with intervening spaces for engagement with the knitting-needles, said blades having downward extensions notched on their inner side, a. pivot-ring supported in the notches in said downward extensions extending circumferentially of the hub, sinkerfingers each provided with a loop between its ends interlockably rockably mounted upon said pivot-ring with the upper ends of said fingers in position to play in certain of said needle-engaging spaces, and a pair of external cams, one engageable with the upper ends of the sinker-fingers above their axis of rocking movement, and the other engageable with the lower ends of the sinker-fingers below their axis of rocking movement.

5. A sinker-wheel having a hub formed with a cylindrical shoulder, the upper surface of which is inwardly and downwardly beveled, an annulus surrounding said shoulder provided in its periphery with bladereeeiving grooves and with inwardly eX- tending slot-s, blades mounted in the respective peripheral grooves in said annulus with intervening needle-engaging spaces, and having dove-tailed shanks extending through said inwardly extending slots, said blades having downward extensions notched on their inner sides, the shanks of said blades being confined between the top of said annulus and said beveled surface on said shoulder, and a nut screwed upon the upper end of said hub into clamping engagement with said annulus, a pivot-ring mounted in the notches in said downward extensions of the blades circumferentially of the hub, and sinker-fingers each provided between its ends with a loop interlockablv rockably mounted upon said pivot-ring with the upper ends of said fingers in position to play in certain of said needle-engaging spaces, said lingers being exposed both above and below their axis of rocking movement for engagement by suitable actuating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day oi. May, 1919.

EDlVARD L. CUMMINGS, 

